SOME ARACHNIDS AT HANOVER, CAPE COLONY. 161 



to overcome the downward pressure of the large lid; if the hole were 

 perpendicular, the spider would have difficulty in levering herself over 

 the edge against the weight of the lid, and, if the exit were not slant- 

 ing and there were no flap, the loose, gritty sand would give way under 

 her feet as she strove to get out. The little felt-like flap leads her 

 gradually on to level ground, where she can easily make her way in 

 any direction to the edge of the lid. 



Secondly, the flap can, in case of necessity, serve as a make-shift 

 door. If you tear the lid off and wait a little while, you will see 

 the front legs of the spider emerge at A and pull at any fragment of 

 hinge left, in order to close the hole temporarily; if she fails at this, 

 she will pull up the flap, which, as I have said, is loose and just long 

 enough to close and conceal the hole admirably. It is interesting to 

 note that the spider always comes up facing A, which results in her 

 being pretty well concealed while closing the hole; whereas, if she 

 came up facing B, the slant would, to a considerable extent, expose 

 her. This would seem to indicate that the flap is resorted to as a 

 make-shift door only if the spider finds there is not enough web for 

 the purpose left from the torn-off hinge. 



Sometimes if you sit and watch an undisturbed nest, you will 

 see the large 'butterfly' lid tremble, and then you will see the points 

 of the little legs appear at the edge as the spider throws out the re- 

 mains of a small ant or fly or some grains of sand. If you then 

 quickly remove the lid, she will pop round and hide under it on the 

 open ground. If exposed she lies perfectly still with her legs drawn 

 in, feigning death, and may be handled like a dead thing. As she 

 is very much the color of the loose sand, it is quite common to miss 

 her, unless great care be taken. 



It will be seen that this wonderful little spider is far ahead of the 

 trap-door Lycosa in the complexity of her nest; but we have not yet 

 reached the limit of her intelligence. Often she builds a beautifully 

 webbed blind side-chamber, about half way down the hole, into which 

 she escapes, and which, when the sand is disturbed, collapses over 

 her and enfolds and hides her. I did not find the side chamber till 

 I sought for it carefully. It is a late development, and shows she 

 is no mere brilliant amateur like the Lycosa. 



The trap-door eresid never, as far as I know, leaves the nest during 

 the day, and certainly never opens the door, but creeps in and out 

 under it, thus always leaving it closed. Neither do the adult males 

 make doors or live under ground. Digging shows females, adult and 

 young in the nests, but males only up to the last molt. 



Here again comes a new and very interesting departure on the 

 part of the eresid. The male, which, for all practical purposes, is, 



VOL. LXII. 11. 



